How can the definite integral be 8/3 when the indefinite is -1/3*(4-y^2)^(3/2)?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the calculation of work required to pump water out of a semicircular tank. Participants explore the integration of a specific definite integral related to the problem, addressing challenges in performing the integration and the setup of the problem itself.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes the setup involving a semicircular tank and the work calculation based on volume, density, and distance.
  • Another participant suggests considering the center of gravity for calculating work, but this is challenged due to the varying distances layers of water must travel.
  • A later reply proposes an alternative integration approach and provides an indefinite integral, suggesting it simplifies the problem.
  • There is a mention of a different formula for the volume element, leading to a question about the original setup and the source of terms in the integral.
  • One participant states that the indefinite integral leads to a definite integral result of 8/3, but this is not universally accepted or confirmed by others in the thread.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the integration process and the setup of the problem. There is no consensus on the correct approach or the validity of the results presented.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note potential confusion regarding the dimensions and setup of the tank, as well as the implications of the flow rate on the work calculation. The discussion includes various assumptions about the integration process and the physical setup that remain unresolved.

trancefishy
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I am working on a problem involving a semicircular tank underground, and how much work is required to pump water out of the top. i set everything as i see correctly, but cannot computer the definite integral. i only know basic substitution and to some degree integration by parts, but that is apparently not required for this problem. the integral i am having problems with is (def integral, from zero to 2, of) [(3-y)(sqrt(4y - y^2))] dy.
i narrowed it down to the fact i can't integrate sqrt (4y - y^2), which i found out is incredibly difficult and complicated. so I'm thinking there is either an easier way to inegrate this that I'm unaware of, or a way to set the problem up so that I'm not dealing with square roots. i have been working on this for over 5 hours now, in the past two days, with no good results.

the problem is something like this. semicircular tank underground, length of 8, radius of 2. the tank is laying horizontal to the horizon, with the flat part of the semicircle at the top. there is a nozzle 1 ft high that the water has to go through.

i set it up like this:
work = force x distance = volume x density x acceleration due to gravity x distance.

so i computed the dimensions of the slab, 8 * dy * 2(sqrt[4y - y^2])

multiplied this by 62.5 (density of water), 32 (accel. of gravity), and (3-y) (distance the slab of water travels, (2-y)+1, since there is a 1 ft nozzle).

this left me with 32000 times the inegral i listed above. sorry this is so long, but I'm really stuck with this one. thanks for any advice
 
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You didn't mention how fast the water flows out of the nozzle.

Wouldn't it be easier to imagine all the mass of the water concentrated at its center of gravity and calculate the work required to lift it to the desired location?
 
doesn't matter how fast it flows out, same amount of work is required. also, i can't do the center of gravity approach for two reasons, 1) i was never exposed to anything having to do with center of gravity and most importantly 2) the layers of water at the top of the tank have less distance to travel than the layers towards the bottom, so each layer requires a different amount of work to pump out of the tank.
 
trancefishy said:
doesn't matter how fast it flows out, same amount of work is required. also, i can't do the center of gravity approach for two reasons, 1) i was never exposed to anything having to do with center of gravity and most importantly 2) the layers of water at the top of the tank have less distance to travel than the layers towards the bottom, so each layer requires a different amount of work to pump out of the tank.

Actually, the flow could matter since it requires work/energy to accelerate the water that is initally at rest. However, if the flow rate is sufficiently small then the kinetic energy component can be neglected.

Basically, your problem is the integration which you can do: I get, for the indefinite integral,
[tex]\sin^{-1} \frac {y-2}{2} + \sqrt {y(4-y)}[/tex]

I think you would have gotten a much simpler integral if you had taken the y = 0 level to be at the top of tank.
 
i set it up like this:
work = force x distance = volume x density x acceleration due to gravity x distance.

so i computed the dimensions of the slab, 8 * dy * 2(sqrt[4y - y^2])

Could you draw a picture? I got a different formula, but I'm not sure I understand the problem...

The way I understand it, you have a half-cylinder tank, and the large flat part is facing up? Wouldn't then dV be 8*2sqrt(4-y^2)dy? Where does the y in 4y come from?

And since distance is y+1, you get:

dW = density*acceleration*16*sqrt(4-y^2)*(y+1)*dy
W = density*acceleration*16*[integral from 0 to 2]((y+1)sqrt(4-y^2))

It's almost 5 AM here so I have no time to integrate it by hand, but wolfram integrator says the indefinite integral is -1/3*(4-y^2)^(3/2). The definite one then gives 8/3.. Multiply with 16, density and acceleration and that should be it...
 
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